M*A*S*H character
Colonel Sherman Potter as played by Harry Morgan
Colonel Potter
Rank	Colonel
Gender	Male
Hair color	Gray
Eye color	Brown
Home city	Hannibal, Missouri, USA
Film portrayer	—
Television portrayer	Harry Morgan
First appearance	"Welcome to Korea" (glimpsed) "Change of Command" (first proper appearance)

Colonel Sherman T. Potter was a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television show. He was portrayed by Harry Morgan. Image File history File links This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Colonel is a military rank of a commissioned officer, with the corresponding ranks existing in nearly every country in the world. ... The shield and spear of the Roman God Mars are often used to represent the male sex In heterogamous species, male is the sex of an organism, or of a part of an organism, which typically produces smaller, mobile gametes (spermatozoa) that are able to fertilise female gametes (ova). ... Hannibal (Americas Hometown) is a city located in Marion and Ralls County, Missouri. ... Official language(s) English Capital Jefferson City Largest city Kansas City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 21st 69,709 mi²; 180,693 km² 240 mi; 385 km 300 mi; 480 km 1. ... MASH is a 1970 satirical American dark comedy film directed by Robert Altman, based extremely loosely on the novel written by Richard Hooker. ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ... A fictional character is any person who appears in a work of fiction. ... Inspired by the 1970 20th Century-Fox film of the same name, M*A*S*H (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) was an American television series about a team of medical professionals and support staff stationed at the 4077th MASH in Korea during the Korean War. ... Harry Morgan as Colonel Sherman T. Potter Harry Morgan (born Henry Bratsburg on April 10, 1915 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American television actor of Norwegian extraction. ...

At the end of the show's third season, McLean Stevenson had left the series, and his character of Henry Blake died on his way home. The producers wanted a different type of commanding officer for the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH). They decided on a man who had made a career out of the US Army—what was called in the show as regular army, and was close to retirement. In a book on the television series, the producers said they wanted a lifer who was on short time. The producers decided to have Harry Morgan fill the role after the strong performance he gave as a visiting General earlier in the first episode of the third season, "The General Flipped at Dawn." McLean Stevenson as Lt. ... Lt. ... A Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) is a self-contained United States Army military unit established to perform surgery and provide post-operative care immediately behind the front lines. ...

His middle name, marked by the "T" initial, was never revealed, leaving fans to theorize it representing any name from Thomas to Timothy to Tyler. Harry Morgan himself admitted he didn't know what the T stood for, but he once suggested that the T stood for Tecumseh. The "Sherman T." part could be that along with a subtle reference to the Sherman Tank used in World War II, and which was named for American Civil War General William Tecumseh Sherman. The M4 Medium Tank was the main tank designed and built by the US for use in World War II. In the UK lend-lease M4s were dubbed M4 General Sherman after Union General William Tecumseh Sherman, continuing a practice of naming American tanks after famous Generals. ... Combatants Allies: Poland, British Commonwealth, France/Free France, Soviet Union, United States, China, and others Axis Powers: Germany, Italy, Japan, and others Casualties Military dead:17 million Civilian dead:33 million Total dead:50 million Military dead:8 million Civilian dead:4 million Total dead:12 million World War II... Combatants United States of America Confederate States of America Commanders Abraham Lincoln† Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis Robert E. Lee Strength 2,213,363 1,064,200 Casualties KIA: 110,100 Total dead: 359,500 Wounded: 275,200 KIA: 74,500 Total dead: 198,500 Wounded: 137,000+  The American... William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820 – February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. ...

Background

Col. Potter was both an excellent surgeon and leader. He led mainly by example, always doing his best and encouraging others to do the same. He was at times willing to ignore the letter of regulations in order to abide by its spirit. Usually easygoing, he enjoyed playing the occasional practical joke on others in his unit, Potter understood the hellish realities of life in a MASH unit, and the need for jokes, pranks and recreation to boost morale. At the same time, however, Potter did not suffer fools gladly; he still tended to be more stern and decisive than his predecessor Col. Blake, and he would put his foot down if he felt the doctors were getting [too] carried away. When he found out about the existence of Hawkeye and B.J.'s still, he offered advice on how to improve the yield (During WWII he'd had a distillery while stationed on Guam, which blew up, getting him a Purple Heart). In return, the maverick doctors typically respected Potter's authority, and were more prone to obey his orders than they ever did with Col. Blake. Captain Benjamin Franklin Hawkeye Pierce was the lead fictional character of the book M*A*S*H (and sequel books) (by Richard Hooker, the pen name of Dr. H. Richard Hornberger), the film M*A*S*H and television series M*A*S*H. The character was played by Donald... Captain B.J. Hunnicutt (played by Mike Farrell) is a fictional character in the TV show M*A*S*H, which ran from 1972-1983 on CBS. Captain Hunnicutt resided in Mill Valley, California before he was recruited to join the US Army to fight in the War. ... German soldiers at the Battle of Stalingrad World War II was the most extensive and costly armed conflict in the history of the world, involving the great majority of the worlds nations, being fought simultaneously in several major theatres, and costing tens of millions of lives. ... The Purple Heart is a U.S. military decoration awarded in the name of the President of the United States to those who have been wounded or killed while serving in, or with, the U.S. military after April 5, 1917. ...

Despite the distance that military duty imposed upon him, Col. Potter was at heart a family man. He kept in regular contact with his wife, children and grandchildren, and told them all about the people he served with at the 4077th. For the most part Col. Potter and his wife Mildred had to maintain a long-distance relationship, although he was able to meet her for a couple weeks in Tokyo at one point. Tokyo ) (help· info), literally eastern capital, is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and includes the highly urbanized central area formerly known as the city of Tokyo which is the heart of the Greater Tokyo Area. ...

During his time in the military, Col. Potter had shown that he was a man of integrity who after two World wars had grown tired of fighting. More than once, when old friends of his had committed serious errors that had resulted in men being hurt or killed, Col. Potter would report them to the chain of command. Potter declared that he didn't care if it cost him every friend he had, but the price of not reporting an error was too high if even one soldier died or was hurt needlessly. His integrity and sense of fairness were exemplified when the doctors discovered that one racist CO was deliberately sending black soldiers into hazardous duty so that they'd get injured, killed, or sent home sooner. Despite having grown up in Missouri (then a segregationist State), Col. Potter participated in a sting that got the CO to reveal his true intentions, and forced him to resign.

History Prior to the 4077th

A Methodist, Sherman Potter was from Hannibal, Missouri, the childhood home of Mark Twain. (Two early episodes mention a home in Nebraska, however, and Potter implies in another episode that he's a Presbyterian.) He learned (among other things) Army foot care from a fellow Missourian–future President Harry S Truman. Potter also reveals early on that he's one-quarter Cherokee, when Frank Burns complains that Hawkeye "always gets the Cowboys (friendly troops), while I get stuck with the Indians (North Koreans and Chinese)!", which may influence some of Potter's liberal political sympathies. The Methodist movement is a group of denominations of Protestant Christianity. ... Hannibal (Americas Hometown) is a city located in Marion and Ralls County, Missouri. ... Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American humorist, novelist, writer, and lecturer. ... Official language(s) English Capital Lincoln Largest city Omaha Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 16th 200,520 km² 340 km 690 km 0. ... Presbyterianism is part of the Reformed churches family of denominations of Christian Protestantism based on the teachings of John Calvin which traces its institutional roots to the Scottish Reformation, especially as led by John Knox. ... For the victim of Mt. ... For other uses, see Cherokee (disambiguation). ...

Sherman Potter enlisted in the Army at fifteen, when he lied about his age to get into the cavalry, presumably during World War I. (His exact age during the series is debatable. In the episode "Pressure Points", Potter gives his age as 62. With the episode set in 1952, he would have been fifteen in 1905, well before the war. However, in one episode he refers to joining the U.S. Cavalry during the days of Theodore Roosevelt's "Rough Riders," thus adding credence to the supposed timeline.) Col. Potter gave distinguished service, earning the Good Conduct Medal. Because he was an enlisted man at the time, he was eligible for one. Potter noted that neither MacArthur or Bradley had earned such an award. (This is a continuity error; the Army did not issue a Good Conduct Medal until 1941, by which time Potter had become a commissioned officer.) Cavalry is also a common misspelling of the Biblical hill Calvary. ... Combatants Allies: • Serbia, • Russia, • France, • Romania, • Belgium, • British Empire and Dominions, • United States, • Italy, • ...and others Central Powers: • Germany, • Austria-Hungary, • Ottoman Empire, • Bulgaria Casualties Military dead: 5 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 8 million Full list Military dead: 3 million Civilian dead: 3 million Total: 6 million Full... The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. ... Douglas MacArthur KBE (January 26, 1880 — April 5, 1964) was an American general who commanded the Southwest Pacific Theater, in World War Two. ... General of the Army Omar N. Bradley Omar Nelson Bradley (February 12, 1893 – April 8, 1981) was one of the main U.S. Army field commanders in North Africa and Europe during the World War II and a General of the Army of the United States Army. ... The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military decorations of the United States military. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ... In military organizations, a commissioned officer is a member of the service who derives authority directly from a sovereign power, and as such holds a commission from that power. ...

During World War I, he and a number of his friends spent the night in a French chateau while under fire. They came across a cache of brandy, and proceeded to drink all but one bottle. They made an agreement (a tontine) that the last survivor of the group would take the bottle and make a toast to his friends. Years later, Potter turned out to be the last survivor of the group, and drank a toast to his old friends, together with his new ones in the unit. In one episode he claimed to have been captured by the Germans, and spent two years as a prisoner of war. A tontine is an investment vehicle which combines features of a group annuity, group life insurance, and a lottery. ... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ...

After World War I, Sherman Potter entered medical school, beginning his practice in 1932. (We never learn what sparked his interest in becoming a surgeon, "the only kind of doctor I ever wanted to be." He knew a number of doctors at home, and had joined the Army because he'd craved adventure as a boy. Perhaps the Army had made it possible for him to go to medical school, or having had enough adventure, he now pursued other goals.) During this time, he married Mildred. Potter went through residency in Saint Louis. After residency, Potter served in the Army in a number of positions up until the time of his service in Korea. Prior to his service at the 4077th, he served as a hospital administrator. He and Mildred purchased a home in Missouri, and raised a son and daughter. He and Mildred became grandparents when a granddaughter was born in the early 1950s. 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Surgeon may refer to: a practitioner of surgery the moniker of British electronic music producer and DJ, Anthony Child; see Surgeon (musician) This is a disambiguation page—a list of articles associated with the same title. ... Nickname: Gateway City, Gateway to the West, or Mound City Official website: http://stlouis. ...

CO of the 4077th

After Colonel Blake left the 4077th MASH, Colonel Potter was assigned to the unit as the CO. As he would later tell Klinger, the first few days were "a mite uneasy" and that "no one was jumping for joy" over his arrival. Initially, Hawkeye and BJ feared having a "regular army" man in charge, which they felt was even worse than having Frank in charge - with Frank at least they stood a chance of outwitting him. They also feared about Potter being rusty having not done any recent surgery. However, despite it being several years since having performed an operation, Potter had no problem resuming surgery.

It took a few days, but once Potter and the rest of the staff got to know each other Potter became good friends with many of the people in his unit. Almost always giving off the aura of everyone's favorite father, he was particularly good friends with Hawkeye, B.J., Radar, Mulcahy, Klinger, and Major Houilhan. Potter particularly became a father figure to Radar during Radar's time at the 4077th, much as his predecessor Henry Blake had. In return, when Radar found a wounded stray horse, later called Sophie, he gave her to Potter so he could care for her. Another continuity error occurs because in that episode, the horse is referred to as a male. For Potter's part, he was delighted to have a horse again and rode her regularly throughout the remainder of his assignment with the unit. Upon his arrival, Potter demonstrated that he knew every trick in the book, including cross dressing for an insanity discharge, and continually refused to discharge Klinger, though he let Klinger get away with wearing dresses. When Radar's Uncle Ed died at the beginning of the 8th season, he helped Radar get a hardship discharge so Radar could return home to Iowa. When Klinger took over as clerk, Potter realized that Klinger needed to adjust to his new job. Using his own experience of relizing how much work he had replacing Henry Blake, he explained to Klinger how he had to make the position given to him his own, just like how Potter had to make Henry Blake's position his own. So Potter took Klinger under his wing, and as a result Klinger eventually did a passable job. It was Potter's approval that eventually got Klinger promoted to sergeant. Off the record, Klinger did a near pitch-perfect impression/impersonation of Colonel Potter, which was key to Klinger snagging a generator from military supplies. Corporal Walter Eugene Radar OReilly is a fictional character in the novel MASH: A Novel About Three Army Doctors, the movie M*A*S*H, the television series M*A*S*H, the television movie W*A*L*T*E*R and two episodes of the series After M... John Patrick Francis Mulcahy is a principal character from the film, M*A*S*H played by Rene Auberjonois and the television series version played by William Christopher. ... Maxwell Q. Klinger is a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television series played by American actor Jamie Farr. ... Major Margaret Hot Lips Houlihan was a fictional character from the M*A*S*H television show. ... Binomial name Equus caballus Linnaeus, 1758 nugget For other uses, see Horse (disambiguation). ... Official language(s) English Capital Des Moines Largest city Des Moines Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 26th 145,743 km² 320 km 500 km 0. ... Lt. ... Lt. ...

Potter did not get along with Frank Burns, but then again, no one really got along well with Frank. When Frank said he loved being in Korea, Potter said that either Burns or Klinger was nuts, and now he had to figure out who it was. When Frank Burns finally had a nervous breakdown and was transferred stateside, Potter had arranged to have Major Winchester assigned to the unit. Winchester was a much better surgeon, but at the same time was somewhat pretentious. Winchester was also angry about being assigned to the 4077th which led to a few arguments between Winchester and Potter. Winchester often regretted this when he repeatedly sneered about certain unpleasant, but necessary duties only to anger Potter enough to order the haughty surgeon to perform them himself. Potter also had to occasionally deal with the intelligence officer Colonel Flagg. Major Franklin Frank Marion Burns was a character in both M*A*S*H the film and the television series. ... Major Charles Emerson Winchester III is a principal character on the television series, M*A*S*H, played by David Ogden Stiers. ... Colonel Samuel Flagg is a fictional character on the television series M*A*S*H, played by Edward Winter. ...

After the Korean War

With the armistice declared in Korea, the 4077th was disbanded, and everyone in the unit parted ways as they went on with their respective lives. Col. Potter retired from the military, and went back home to Missouri. At the end of the show, Col. Potter had planned on going home to Mildred and being a semi-retired country doctor.

However, Harry Morgan, William Christopher, and Jamie Farr—the three who voted to continue the series at the end of the 10th season—were invited to star in a spinoff series at CBS. This show, called After MASH, had the three actors reprising their roles from MASH. Dr. Potter was the administrator of a hospital in Missouri. Father Mulcahy, after becoming deaf in one ear, was now the hospital's Catholic chaplain. And Max and Soon-Lee Klinger, after experiencing discrimination in Toledo, moved to the area so that Max could take a job as Potter's assistant. William Christopher (born October 20, 1932 in Evanston, Illinois) is an American actor who is most well-known for playing Father Mulcahy on the television series M*A*S*H and Private Lester Hummel on Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. After attending New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois... Jamie Farr (born on July 1, 1934 in Toledo, Ohio), birth name Jameel Joseph Farah, is an American television and film actor of Lebanese Antiochian Orthodox extraction, who is best known for playing the role of Corporal Maxwell Klinger in the 1970s and 80s U.S. television sitcom, M*A... A spin-off (or spinoff) is a new organization or entity formed by a split from a larger one such as a new company formed from a university research group. ... AfterMASH was a situation comedy that ran for two seasons (1983-1985) on CBS. A spin-off of the long-running hit series M*A*S*H, AfterMASH took place immediately following the end of the Korean War and chronicled the adventures of three characters from the original series: Colonel...

Gary Burghoff reprised his role as Radar for a two part show on his wedding. Edward Winter also reprised his role as Col. Flagg in a guest role. But without the majority of the cast or the writers from the original series, the show was never as popular as MASH was, and CBS decided to cancel the series after only two seasons. Gary Burghoff as Walter Radar OReilly. ... Edward Winter as Colonel Flagg on M*A*S*H Edward Winter (June 3, 1937 in Ventura, California - March 8, 2001 in Woodland Hills, California) was an American actor perhaps most well-known for his role as the Military Intelligence officer, Lieutenant Colonel/Colonel Flagg on the television series M...

External links

• Finest-Kind.net - M*A*S*H website with character profile
• Best Care Anywhere - M*A*S*H website with character profile